From a young age I was always puzzled by the mention of "the Jewish vote." I wondered how a group representing no more than 2% of our nation's population could possibly play a significant role in the outcome of an election. While it makes no logical sense, the impact of "the Jewish vote" continues to be of great interest to candidates and campaign workers.

First of all, 2% is more than large enough a percentage to swing an election one way or the other. Second of all, Jews, without necessarily consulting one another, have tended to vote as a bloc. For example, since 1924 Jews have tended to vote Democrat, and in the 19th century, Jews voted Republican (then the party of Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt). But the most significant point of all, even if the Jewish community is divided in its support of the candidates, is the fact that Jews vote! Jews are more highly represented at the voting booth than any other of America's religious or ethnic communities.

Jeff Greenfield of CNN, speaking a few years ago at the Jewish Theological Seminary, at a program celebrating 350 years of Jews in North America, attempted to explain the phenomenon of high voter turnout among Jews. Greenfield stated that two traits which separate the Jewish community from all others, higher levels of education and affluence, are consistent with high voter turnout. Educated and affluent Americans vote more than those without these characteristics.

But even less educated and less affluent Jews vote more than their counterparts in America. And so Greenfield goes on to explain that there are other, perhaps more significant reasons why Jews are overly represented at the polling places. Jews know all too well what it is like to be living under evil government officials. Therefore they vote in high numbers as a means of taking responsibility to protect their own interests, by helping to choose leaders who are truly good for their citizens. Moreover, Jews have learned the lesson from Pirke Avot, al tifrosh min hatzibbur--Do not separate yourself from the community. The same factors which lead Jewish people to connect to family, synagogue and community, leads us to want to belong, and voting is a perfectly clear way for one to say: this is my community, and what I do makes a difference.

The high percentage of Jewish voters is therefore consistent with the significant representation of Jews in high office. The Jewish community which, again, constitutes less than 2% of the U.S. population, nonetheless accounts for an astounding 6% of the House of Representatives, 11% of the Senate and 22% of the Supreme Court.

To Mr. Greenfield's keen analysis, I would add another suggestion. Jews vote in high numbers because they can. We know about, and our Ancestors experienced firsthand, living in countries where they were unable to vote, where they had no right to participate in the choosing of their leaders. Being the people who "were slaves in Egypt," and also were without basic freedoms in a number of foreign lands, we have come to cherish rights when they are granted. This might also explain why Jews embrace college education and land ownership, both of which would have been denied to them in many European countries for centuries.

Voting seems to be something that people either "get" or "don't get." There are those who wake up on each election day and know that voting that day is as natural as breathing and eating. They never need to stop and think about it; never wonder if their vote matters; they just do it, because that's what you do on election day. Then there are those who just don't bother or don't care. They might think about it, but they think too much--not about whom to vote for (that's a good thing), but rather about whether or not to vote (this shouldn't even be a question). Sometimes people in this latter group do vote, but only because of a passion they feel for a particular candidate, not because of a new found love for elections in general. Sometimes people in the former group neglect to vote. Things come up, plans go awry, and even with a legitimate excuse, they feel ashamed for not having voted.